Column and Foundation Load Calculation

This civil engineering article will teach you how to work out the loads for column and footings design.

Categories of Loads Acting on Column:

1. Self weight of the column x Number of floors
2. Self weight of beams for each running meter
3. Load of walls for each running meter
4. Total Load of slab (Dead load + Live load + Self weight)

The columns are also exposed to bending moments which should be included in the final design. It is suggested to use specialized structural design software like ETABS or STAAD Pro for designing a good structure.

The structural loading measurements are done on the basis of the following assumptions :-

For Columns: Concrete's self-weight should be roughly 2400 kg per cubic meter that is equal to 240 kN.. Steel's self-weight is about 8000 kg per cubic meter.

If we consider the column size of 230 mm x 600 mm containing 1% steel and 3 meters standard height, the column's self weight should be about around 1000 kg per floor, that is identical to 10 kN. Here, the column's self-weight is taken between 10 and 15 kN per surface.

For Beams: It is assumed that each meter of beam contains dimensions of 230 mm x 450 mm without slab thickness. Therefore, the self weight is about 2.5 kN per running meter.

Also Read: Column Footing Design For a Shallow Foundation

For Walls: Brick density differs from 1500 to 2000 kg per cubic meter. We may measure the load per running meter to be equivalent to 0.150 x 1 x 3 x 2000 = 900 kg and equivalent to 9 kN/meter for a 6″ thick wall with a height of 3 meter and a length of 1 meter. Apply this method to measure load per running meter for any form of brick.

The weight per cubic meter varies from 550 to 700 kg per cubic meter for autoclaved, aerated concrete blocks such as Aerocon or Siporex.

The wall loads per running meter is as low as 4 kN/meter when these blocks are utilized for construction, the wall loads per running meter can be as low as 4 kN/meter, that can lead to a significant cutback in construction costs.

For Slab: Suppose the slab is 125 mm thick. Now every square meter of slab would contain a self weight of 0.125 x 1 x 2400 = 300 kg that is identical to 3 kN. Now, suppose finishing load is 1 kN per meter and the live load superimposed is 2 kN per meter. The slab load can be measured as approximately 6 to 7 kN per square meter.

Factor of Safety: Finally, please do not forget to bring in the safety factor after working the complete load on a board.

The safety factor for IS 456:2000 is 1.5.